This invention pertains to new innovations in looseleaf books with snap ring assemblies for holding paper sheets with holes punched therein near an edge of the sheets. The invention provides, as a first innovation, one piece moldings having front and rear cover panels integrally connected to the spine by living hinges. Another innovation involves providing a longitudinal, vertical, shallow cavity in the rear, outer face of the spine and a removable, press-in or snap-in spine insert which is press-fitted or snap-fitted in the cavity. One size and style of the integral molding of the covers and spine can serve the needs of many purchasers of the books because different legends, indicia, logos, etc. can be printed, embossed, raised, etc. on the inserts, which can be customized for each purchaser.
Optionally, a further innovation involves also the spine insert, which, when formed as a molding of a thermoplastic polymer, may have a transverse, horizontal, living hinge which allows the lower segment of the insert to swing outwardly about 20.degree. to 40.degree. relative to the general plane of the spine. This feature allows the lower segment to act as an easel-like stand for standing the open book at a vertically and rearwardly sloping pitch to make reading the pages, e.g., as in a cookbook, easier.
A further innovation involves the front cover panel, the front face of which preferably has one large shallow cavity or two or more smaller, shallow cavities. Thin, mating, insert panels or sheets, customized to the needs and devices of each purchaser by the printing, embossments, raised indicia, etc. on a given set of insert panels are pressed fitted, glued, heat sealed, etc. in the shallow cavity.
Still another innovation involves redesign of the snap-ring assemblies by changing the main, metal strip from a transversely arched, rounded longitudinal edge configuration, which is usually mounted on prior, known looseleaf book spines by rivets, to a transversely rectangular, three sided strip which matingly seats in a second, longitudinal shallow cavity in the front, inner face of the spine. The two, narrow, parallel longitudinal sides of the three-sided strip have means for fixedly securing the strip in the longitudinal cavity, e.g., by barbs, dovetailing and the like.